Do you get swept up by trends? I get swept up by the “season”. (In quotation marks, because the where I’m from isn’t exactly a seasonal place. But I digress…) If I see all those gorgeous seasonal shades, I start obsessing. And even before fall officially started, I was already into the idea of the ultimate vampy lip that I have always been a little self-conscious of. Its the color that will push me to my limits, short of going all-out black. My Pick for 2016: MAC Instigator (PHP 1,000; USD 17).

If you had told my high school self that 2016 would see me trying out the full Korean 10-step beauty routine, I wouldn’t have believed it. Heck, if I was told the same thing last year, I wouldn’t have believed it either. Prior to starting the experiment, I had to read up on all the complicated product classifications (lotion, emulsion, essence, etc.) and the proper order of layering them. And I have always been this person who though that a four-step skin regimen was already a full plate.

After that effective routine, I was inclined to try and keep it up as much as I could. My revised skincare essentials now include serum, watery essence/light lotion, and emulsion. I’m currently using It’s Skin Power 10 Formula VC Effector (PHP 390) from Althea Korea.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten my hands on some colored mascara. Back when I was in high school and wasn’t even documenting my beauty buys yet, I had a drugstore tube of blue mascara that I loved to bits. I didn’t even have a concept of beauty product criteria yet, so I don’t remember if it could hold a curl or volumize. So here’s another go at colored mascara—now that it’s hot again!—in the form of Covergirl Katy Kat Eye Mascara in Perry Blue (PHP450).

Do you have top buys from each beauty brand? It’s when you have re-purchased the same category from a single brand over and over that you already have that instant association in your head. For example, my top buys are: brow products = K-palette; eyeshadow = Tarte/Bobbi Brown; and pressed face powder = Maybelline. I have consistently been buying powder foundations from them as the quality and value for money are spot-on to me. I recently started using Maybelline Clearsmooth All in One Powder Foundation in 02 Nude Beige (refill compact at PHP 169 SRP), and I’ve already purchased my backup during a sale.

If my being a girly-girl wasn’t indication enough, I had a childhood with plenty of Disney Princesses in it. My top three would have to be Snow White, Cinderella, and Mulan. On VHS tapes, no less. So you can guess that I will always have an appreciation for those catchy songs and that magic-is-in-the-air vibe. And I can’t think of a more magical way to spend a pre-holiday weekend than in catching Ballet Manila’s take on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella.